<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Tower Law Group]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tower Law Group is a Florida law firm handling probate, estate planning, elder law, trusts, and Social Security disability with trusted guidance.]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/blog-1</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 05:11:11 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.towerlawgroup.com/es/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[This Long Weekend, the People Around That Table Are the Reason to Have a Plan]]></title><description><![CDATA[The One Big Beautiful Bill raised the estate tax exemption to $15 million per person. That provision made headlines everywhere. A second one didn't: a deduction limitation buried in a Congressional footnote that tax lawyers say may create double taxation inside family trusts, including special needs trusts with as little as $400,000 in assets. Here is what families with trusts need to know right now. Read more…]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/maurene-borabo-towerlawgroup-com</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a517256caeb8c9a2508a626</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 22:45:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aee380_44f2f1c7c5ab445783eec24203b6fd67~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>maureneborabo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Starkweather v. Bisignano: A Ninth Circuit Reminder About Issue Preservation]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Ninth Circuit recently handed down a decision in Starkweather v. Bisignano that every Social Security disability appellate practitioner should read, not because it changes the law, but because it illustrates exactly how procedural missteps and the harmless error doctrine can swallow otherwise valid arguments whole. What Happened Starkweather appealed the denial of her Social Security disability benefits. The ALJ discounted her treating physician's opinion, made a factual error about when...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/starkweather-v-bisignano-a-ninth-circuit-reminder-about-issue-preservation</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a484634f7b480551f0dc77d</guid><category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 23:37:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aee380_1348665fab6845df9369174c1c65e1e9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>maureneborabo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Digital Estate Planning: Why Passwords Aren't Enough]]></title><description><![CDATA[Most families assume that a list of passwords will be enough to access accounts after a death. That assumption is wrong, and the problem is not the list. The problem is a layer of security most accounts now require that no password can bypass. Here is what actually keeps families locked out, and what a real digital estate plan looks like. Read more…]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/digital-estate-planning-why-passwords-aren-t-enough</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a452d1b5af2dd52aa964f01</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:20:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aee380_3f008549b4f04ea198aac990911c2998~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>maureneborabo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Divorce Doesn't Update Your Estate Plan: Here's What Does]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you are a divorced father, you already know something that most married fathers don't: showing up for your kids takes more deliberate effort than it looks like from the outside. You have worked on the relationship you have with them. You know which weeks are yours and how to make them count. You have figured out the handoffs, the schedules, and the way to stay present even when circumstances make it complicated. What I find almost universally, when a divorced father walks into my office,...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/divorce-doesn-t-update-your-estate-plan-here-s-what-does</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d458ec46da0aa0d4675d7</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:32:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aee380_26d5dc454e07440eaee4f2a5bd2a86aa~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>maureneborabo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What the Eighth Circuit's Latest RFC Decision Means for Your Appeals Practice]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Eighth Circuit issued its decision in Bonham v. Bisignano on June 2, 2026, and if you handle Social Security disability appeals, it's worth reading carefully. Not just the majority. Especially the dissent. Here's what happened, why the dissent matters, and what this means for how you handle cases going forward. The Setup: A Long Wait and a Narrow Window A veteran with serious cervical spine issues waited five years to file for SSA disability, alleging an onset date back in May 2012. By...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/what-the-eighth-circuit-s-latest-rfc-decision-means-for-your-appeals-practice</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3aa274e48ba4122ae7070e</guid><category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:31:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aee380_c3f3644116984161a7a2afcb512b4300~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>maureneborabo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Father the Law Doesn't See: What Stepfathers and Father Figures Need to Know]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you are a stepfather, you know the difference between the legal definition of father and the real one. The real one shows up. He learns the allergies, the fears, and the names of the friends. He drives to the practices and sits through the recitals and knows which child needs quiet when they're upset and which one needs noise. He considers these children his family, and they consider him theirs. The legal definition is something else entirely. Under the law, a stepparent has no automatic...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/the-father-the-law-doesn-t-see</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a395acdbc774dc6e46e5810</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 16:12:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aee380_fc9b5c066bec484e9501e0643504f36d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>maureneborabo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Question Every Father Thinks He's Answered]]></title><description><![CDATA[There are two kinds of fathers. The first kind coaches the games, makes it to the school plays, stays up late helping with the projects, and loves his family in every visible way. He thinks about what would happen if something happened to him: maybe during a long drive home, maybe after a close call, maybe in a quiet moment watching his kids sleep. He thinks about it and then moves on, because the day-to-day of being a father takes up almost everything he has. Father's Day tends to celebrate...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/the-question-every-father-thinks-he-s-answered</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a29ad46e43151d3f337281c</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 18:40:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aee380_58c4d05af58c4f5b8944f75da917660b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>maureneborabo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Who Will Raise Your Children If You Can't? (What Most Parents Don't Know About the First 72 Hours)]]></title><description><![CDATA[I work with parents on this exact question all the time. And especially this time of year, sitting between Mother's Day and Father's Day, the love you have for your children tends to be front and center. But there's a question I find most parents haven't truly answered yet, even the ones who think they have. When I sit down with parents, most have thought about who would take care of their children if something happened to them. Maybe it came up during a long drive, over dinner with their...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/who-will-raise-your-children-if-you-can-t-what-most-parents-don-t-know-about-the-first-72-hours</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2046e70bde06a292acf898</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:05:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/aee380_32e1e1142ab34610bc9918d789c95457~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>maureneborabo</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Widow Penalty: What No One Tells You]]></title><description><![CDATA[She had been filing taxes the same way for thirty years. Married filing jointly. Two incomes, two Social Security checks, one tax return. When her husband died, she assumed very little about her finances would change. She still lived in the same house. She still had the same savings. Her income was lower, yes, but the bills were mostly the same. Then her first tax return came due as a single filer, and everything changed. Her accountant had to explain something she had never heard of: the...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/the-widow-penalty-what-no-one-tells-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a15f951b22ef328630db781</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 14:00:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_72913db00e704b2f947fda1d5763531e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Document That Fails When You Need It Most]]></title><description><![CDATA[This happens far more than it should. You signed a Power of Attorney (POA), named someone you trust, and filed it away with your important documents. You felt the quiet relief of having that handled. But here’s what most families don’t discover until they’re already in a crisis: a perfectly valid POA can be rejected by your bank, and there may be very little your family can do about it in the moment. What that means is that they would have to go to court to get access to your financial...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/the-document-that-fails-when-you-need-it-most</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0e2468b2731dece7511b0e</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 21:21:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_edfdeb04382d424c8f4620862b287901~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is Your Estate Plan Still Keeping Up With Your Life?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tax season just made you look at your financial life honestly. All of it. Tax season forced it. You gathered documents, tracked down account statements, reviewed what you own and what you owe. Right now, in April, you are more financially clear-headed than you will be at almost any other moment this year. And here's the thing most people don't do next: they close the folder. They file the return, pay what they owe, and move on without ever asking the one question that matters most. If...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/estate-plan-still-keeping-up</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f2b0cd5408a823a6a5df5e</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 01:36:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_9de1e9d92534408ea7f2559c1b65fe26~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Symptom Testimony in SSD Claims]]></title><description><![CDATA[A new Ninth Circuit decision came down on April 7, 2026, and if you're handling Social Security disability claims, it's worth a careful read. Cloninger v. Bisignano is the kind of case that doesn't make headlines, but its logic will be familiar, and cautionary, to any practitioner in this space. Here's the short version: Cloninger applied for disability insurance benefits under Title II. The ALJ denied her claim. The district court upheld it. The Ninth Circuit affirmed. The reasons why tell...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/symptom-testimony-in-ssd-claims</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ea59e8ab5395dde609252e</guid><category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 19:45:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_454997c577eb4110a0a9438430578051~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Anne Heche's Estate Teaches Us About Planning Ahead]]></title><description><![CDATA[Anne Heche Died in 2022. Her Family Is Still Paying for It After you're gone, your family won't just be grieving. They'll be making phone calls, hunting down accounts, and navigating a legal process that no one told them about. That's the part that can quietly drag on for years, no matter how much or how little you have. And a story that's been playing out in the courts since 2022 shows exactly what that looks like up close. When actress Anne Heche died following a car accident in August...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/estate-teaches-us</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ea4ae1bbc0f3ff744918c8</guid><pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:39:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_68aec054c4d84845afed26a6e46c088f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jenson v. Bisignano: Five Lessons for Childhood SSI Practitioners]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you represent claimants in childhood Social Security disability cases, the Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Jenson v. Bisignano  is one you'll want to pull up and annotate. It's a unanimous affirmance that touches nearly every major stage of the childhood disability analysis, and it sends a clear message about just how much deference ALJs can command when the record is built the right way. Here's a close read of what happened, where the claimant's arguments fell short, and, most...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/five-lessons-for-childhood-ssi</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e299b6c4c584cedb088e88</guid><category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:37:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_c200af7c15d84e97bfee73f3c63a60f7~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[One Death, One Courtroom, One Child]]></title><description><![CDATA[You probably assume that if something happened to you, the other parent would step in and everything would work itself out. In many families, that's true. But not always. Real life is messy. Parents separate. Relationships become contentious. Custody disputes drag on for years. And when a tragedy occurs in the middle of all of that, children can end up in legal limbo while adults and courts scramble to figure out what happens next. A recent Michigan case shows exactly how complicated things...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/one-death-one-courtroom</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e015541847596b2f55c0e6</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:49:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_8722e64ffc0541fdb9ec6b742ac272e7~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples]]></title><description><![CDATA[You and your partner have built something real together. Maybe you share a home, split the bills, and have been each other's go-to person for years. In every way that matters, you're family. The problem is, the law doesn't see it that way. Without a marriage certificate, your partner has almost no automatic legal standing when it comes to your health care, your finances, or your estate. That gap doesn't just create paperwork headaches — it can leave the person you love most completely...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/estate-planning-for-unmarried</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d84d08a51db32c14c414c6</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 01:10:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_20420ea777e34aa8812cc3e5af40791a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Blended Families &#38; Inheritance]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you are in a blended family, you may believe the simplest estate plan is the fairest one: "I'll leave everything to my spouse. They'll take care of my kids." That approach often works in a first marriage where both spouses share the same biological or adopted children. But in a blended family, the dynamic is completely different—and the consequences of getting it wrong can be devastating. In this article, you will learn what normally happens when spouses in blended families leave...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/blended-families-inheritance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cdafe9f7044e6cf7a6dfd4</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 23:57:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_5f9fabb77eab49d6ab45f94b6344ccd9~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How “Substantial Evidence” Keeps Winning]]></title><description><![CDATA[In Shillington v. Bisignano, No. 24-6894 (9th Cir. 2026), the Ninth Circuit delivered a clear reminder to Social Security disability practitioners: overturning an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) decision remains an uphill battle — even when errors exist. For claimants and attorneys handling SSDI appeals in the Ninth Circuit, this case reinforces long-standing principles about the deferential “substantial evidence” standard of review. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what happened and why it...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/keeps-winning</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c83b31af19906fa1783de9</guid><category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 28 Mar 2026 20:38:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_cb79c45942084395b6f4c3bb8b1341ea~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Happens to Retirement Accounts After Death?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unlike most inherited assets, retirement accounts are not income tax-free. Beneficiaries must pay income tax on withdrawals. Key Changes Under the SECURE Act of 2019 Eliminated the “stretch IRA” for most beneficiaries Requires many heirs to withdraw the full account within 10 years Accelerates taxation and reduces long-term tax-deferred growth Why This Matters Larger withdrawals = higher taxable income Can push beneficiaries into higher tax brackets A $500,000 inheritance could shrink...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/retirement-accounts</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c4771e653657f03d5e090f</guid><category><![CDATA[Estate Planning]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:03:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_dcd82aa22a8647dd92765ff0fe503c0a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Eleventh Circuit Reinforces “Substantial Evidence” Standard in Social Security Case]]></title><description><![CDATA[The United States Court of Appeals for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently issued a non-published decision in Varnon v. Commissioner of Social Security  that highlights just how deferential the “substantial evidence”  standard can be in Social Security disability appeals. For claimants and attorneys alike, the decision serves as an important reminder: even when the record contains conflicting evidence, courts often defer to the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)...]]></description><link>https://www.towerlawgroup.com/post/substantial-evidence-standard</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b4b8b2d1b1d9cdf21485c1</guid><category><![CDATA[Disability]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 14 Mar 2026 01:25:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc1256_9dd4d204e37b45a39f5f05f045426236~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>juliana9396</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>